


The terrible twos that last forever

by SugdenLovesDingle



Series: Robron Week 2020 [3]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Aaron the baby whisperer, Boyfriends, Daddy Robert, Domestic Bliss, Family Fluff, M/M, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24155254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugdenLovesDingle/pseuds/SugdenLovesDingle
Summary: Robron week 2020Day 3 Dads + “You try having a toddler who refuses to go to bed.”Robert finds himself without a babysitter the night he has a date with Aaron
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: Robron Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740202
Comments: 6
Kudos: 80





	The terrible twos that last forever

“Lucy is going to be here soon and she’s going to read you a story. You like that don’t you? She does the voices and everything. So we need to get you in the bath so you’ll be all ready for Lucy’s stories.” Robert pleaded with Seb.

“No!”

“Come on Seb, don’t be difficult, bit tonight please.” Robert glanced at his watch, Lucy the babysitter he’d hired would be there in half an hour and neither he or Seb was ready for the night.

The terrible twos had hit Seb big time and seemed to last forever. Robert was tired and not in the mood for a fight. He was meeting Aaron, his boyfriend of almost 8 months, for dinner later but he was still dressed in his regular clothes.

Just as he was about to give up and just grab Seb and dump him in the bath, his phone rang.

“Lucy, hi, please tell me you’re on your way.” Robert said answering his phone.

“Uhm…No. I’m sorry… I can’t babysit tonight.”

“You what?! You’re supposed to be here in twenty minutes! I have plans, I’m counting on you!”

“I know, Robert, I’m sorry… but my gran’s just been taken to hospital. She’s had a fall and they think she might have had a stroke.” Lucy explained and Robert felt terrible for yelling at her. “I’m on my way to the hospital now with my brother and my mum. I’m so sorry for cancelling on you at the last minute.”

“No, no it’s ok. This is more important. I hope your gran gets well soon.”

“Thanks. Are you going to be ok? I know you had stuff to do tonight…”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll ring my mum or my sister. I’ll figure something out. I always do.”

“Tell Sebastian I’ll come see him again soon and I’ll read him twice the stories.”

Robert smiled. He’d never thought he’d find this absolute godsend of a woman when he’d started asking around for reliable babysitters so he wouldn’t always have to ask his mum.

“I will.” Robert promised. “He’ll look forward to it, I’m sure.”

He wished her and her family well again and promised her he’d keep them in his thoughts before saying goodbye and ending the call.

“Right… now what?” he said to himself. Seb was still playing with his Legos in the corner and wasn’t paying attention to his dad in the slightest.

Robert considered calling Vic to ask her to ask her to do him a favour, but then remembered the Instagram posts he’d seen that morning of his sister and her friends on a beach somewhere.

Having run out of options he called the only other person he could think of.

“Mum, hi, it’s me, Robert.”

“I know love, I saw your name on my screen.” Sarah said, amused, when she answered almost right away.

“Right. Of course. Uhm… I know it’s very short notice and everything… but I was hoping you could do me a favour and have Seb for the night. Please?”

Robert bit his lip and crossed his fingers.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, you know I love having him over but I’ve got plans.”

“Yeah me too, that’s the problem.” Robert sighed. “Lucy’s gran got admitted to hospital tonight so I don’t have a sitter… And I’m meeting Aaron for dinner.”

“I’m sorry love, I’m having dinner with the girls tonight.”

“What am I supposed to do then?! Vic’s on holiday and I can’t find a paid sitter at this short notice.” He hated how needy he sounded but he was desperate.

“Ask him to come to yours then.” Sarah suggested.

“What? No, no I can’t.”

“Why not? Doesn’t he know you have a son?”

“No, no he does… It’s just… I didn’t think this is how they’d meet… it’s not exactly ideal.”

“You like him don’t you?”

“Yes, of course. He’s great. He has the patience of a saint, always listens to my rambling. And he just… he gets me.”

“Well then why wouldn’t you want him to meet Seb? If you want to keep seeing him they’re going to have to meet eventually.”

Robert groaned.

“I know… but I don’t want to scare him off.”

“Why would you scare him off? He knows about Seb and he’s put up with you this long already, he’s used to a thing or two by now.” Sarah teased.

“Cheers mum.”

Sarah laughed.

“Remember when you were young, and I was nervous because I’d met someone and I wasn’t sure how he’d react if I told him my story?”

“Hmm…”

“You told me to tell him and if he reacted badly he wasn’t worth it anyway.”

“I told you that?”

“Yes you did. And I took your advice.”

“Wait… was that the Scottish guy? Philip… something?”

“Yes it was.”

“The one who wanted you to move to Aberdeen with him and leave us three with gran?”

“I never said he was perfect.” Sarah laughed again. “I’m sure your Aaron is a better man than he was.”

Robert smiled at his mother calling Aaron his.

“Just give him a call and ask him.” Sarah pushed. “I have to go now, Janine is picking me up in 20 minutes and I’m not ready yet.”

“Alright. Tell Janine I said hello.” Robert said dutifully.

“I will. Now go call Aaron!”

Robert hung up after promising he would and pulled Aaron’s number up on his phone screen.

“What do you think, Seb? Should I call Aaron? Should I do it?”

“Yeah!” Seb shouted, happy his dad’s focus seemed to have shifted from bath time to something else.

“Alright… here goes nothing…” Robert muttered and pressed call.

The phone rang forever until Aaron answered just as it was about to go to voicemail.

“Rob? Are you still there? I was in the shower.” He said breathlessly.

“Yeah I’m still here. Did you run out of the shower to answer the phone?” Robert asked, picturing Aaron rushing around his flat, dripping with water.

“Sort of. I’d just turned off the water.” Aaron replied. “I’m sat here in a towel.”

Robert bit his lip.

“I wish I was there to enjoy the view.”

“Play your cards right and I’ll give you a little repeat performance later on. Are you staying over tonight?”

“I wish…” Robert sighed. “My sitter had to cancel on me because of a family emergency. And I don’t have anyone else to take Seb.”

“Oh…” Aaron sounded disappointed. “Right. Ok. I understand. We’ll just… reschedule. I have the weekend after next off. That should be enough time to sort something, right?”

“No. I mean, yes. But that’s not what I mean. I uh… wanted to ask you if you wanted to come round to mine. You could finally meet Seb… if you want.”

“You want me to meet your kid?”

“Yeah… if you want. Don’t feel like you have to.”

“No, it’s fine. I’d love to meet him.” Aaron said quickly. “Hopefully he’ll like me.”

“I’m sure he will. You’re very likeable.”

“You’re biased because you’re sleeping with me.”

Robert laughed.

“That just means I know exactly how likeable you are.”

“Fair enough. So… what time do you want me to come over?”

“I don’t know… as soon as you’ve dried off and dressed… and grabbed your toothbrush?”

“You want me to stay over?”

“Yes.” Robert said resolutely. “I miss waking up next to you.”

“Soft lad.”

“It’s the effect you have on me.”

“I don’t think I’m doing it right if I’m making you soft.” Aaron joked and Robert snorted.

“Just get yourself over here. I’ll order us some take out because I haven’t done the shopping yet this week and the fridge is kind of empty.”

“Alright, I’ll be there as soon as I can. What time does Seb go to bed?”

Robert sighed.

“If it’s up to him? Never.”

"Hey, I'm not too early am I?" Aaron asked and leaned in for a kiss hello when Robert let him into the house a little under an hour later. "You look a bit stressed."

"Yeah well, you try having a toddler who refuses to go to sleep." Robert said exasperated.

Aaron laughed a little and held up a bag from a toy store in town.

"Maybe this will help. Does he like stuffed animals?" he asked, pulling a large fluffy orangutan out of the bag.

"You bought him a present?"

"Uh... yeah... a while ago actually." Aaron admitted. "I was looking for a present for my little sister and then I saw this and I liked it. I just figured when... or if... you wanted me to meet your son, I'd have something to make him like me... And if you dumped me before that… Eve would have a cool monkey. I didn’t overstep did I?"

Robert shook his head and pulled him in for a hug.

"Absolutely not. You’re amazing. You didn't have to get him anything. Especially not something like that. It looks expensive."

Aaron shrugged and felt his cheeks burn.

"It's alright. I just wanted to get him something nice... and apparently the money goes to charity…" he trailed off.

"Well he'll love it, I’m sure. It's fantastic." Robert said and turned to Seb who was watching TV on the sofa. Robert's latest attempt to get him sleepy enough to be able to put him to bed without too much trouble. "Seb, come here. Come meet Aaron. He has a present for you."

The boy looked over to his dad and wearily eyed the strange man standing next to him.

Aaron walked over to the sofa and squatted down next to it so he was at eye level with Seb.

“Hey Seb, I’m Aaron. I’m uh… a friend of your dad’s. It’s nice to meet you.” He said and quickly glanced over his shoulder at Robert to make sure he was doing alright. When he got a smile and a nod in return he figured he was good. “Do you like monkeys? Or uhm… apes… I think.” He put the stuffed orang on the sofa next to Seb. “I got you that.”

Seb looked back and forth between the toy and Aaron.

“It’s ok. You can take it. It’s for you.” Robert pushed, sitting down next to Seb.

After a moment of hesitation Seb reached out and grabbed the ape, hugging it tightly.

“Do you like it?” Aaron asked and Seb nodded. “Good. That’s what I was hoping for.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something, Seb? Say thank you.”

“Thank you.” Seb said softly and Aaron smiled at him.

“You’re very welcome.”

It turned out, Aaron was some kind of a baby whisperer, and before long Seb was babbling away at him, showing him all of his toys and making up all kinds of stories with them.

Robert was glad Seb liked his boyfriend, but it was well past the boy’s usual bedtime and he seemed about as far away from going to sleep as possible.

“Hey Seb, it’s getting a little late don’t you think? Why don’t we get you into your pyjamas and you can show Aaron the teddies on your bed.” He suggested, preparing for another “NO!” temper tantrum.

“Yeah, go on. I’d love to see your teddies.” Aaron pushed. “I can read you a story too if you like?”

“Ooookaaayyy.” Seb said after a minute and let his dad take him upstairs without any fuss.

Less than 10 minutes later Robert came back into the living room.

“His highness demands his story.”

Aaron chuckled and got up from the sofa.

“Lead the way.”

Robert lead him upstairs to Seb’s bedroom but stopped him before he walked in.

“Thanks for doing all this… I know tonight wasn’t exactly what we had planned…”

“You don’t have to thank me. He’s yours, isn’t he? That makes him part of the deal. And lucky for me he’s pretty amazing. Just like his dad.” Aaron said and pressed a kiss to Robert’s lips before walking into Seb’s room.

Robert watched him sit down next to Seb on his bed and let the boy pick out a book to read after helping him arrange the stuffed animals on his bed _just so_.

The orangutan Aaron had given him firmly in his arms.

Aaron really did his best with the story, putting on different voices and almost making it into a little play. But Seb was more tired than he’d let on the entire evening, and before long his eyes were falling shut and he was starting to drift off to sleep.

“Sweet dreams little man.” Aaron said softly when he noticed and tucked him in and kissed the top of his head.

Robert knew he probably had a stupid, lovesick smile on his face, but right now he couldn’t care less.

“What?” Aaron asked when he noticed Robert looking at him.

“Nothing. Just love you. Both of you.”


End file.
